What Happens When the Unexpected Happens?

As we prepare and plan for the future, we always remember to live for today. We enjoy our time together and with our family as much as possible. For us, it just so happens we enjoy camping, hunting and fishing. We don’t mind being away from the amenities of city life. Redfish likes to spend time with the birds and enjoys watching their antics. We both enjoy the garden and picking fresh things to eat. Yesterday we pulled fresh carrots and cut some nice broccoli.

But, for us the unexpected happened, which is why there has been a decreasing amount of activity on this site. For many years Redfish has had unexplained health issues. Most doctors told her it was depression or arthritis. None took her seriously. When she told them about this symptom or that, they either said it was imaginary or ignored it as something not worth note. Then after some years, things would get better and she would be her old self again. This cycle has gone on for about 35 years.

Last fall she entered another one of these cycles, which we both thought was another bout of depression. That’s what we’ve been told so many times before, even though we didn’t believe it. She got shingles, then cervical cancer, and skin cancer in a three month period of time. None of these were fatal nor even cause for great alarm because they could be taken care of, removed, or would go away. But they did get her to thinking about her mortality.

But, even when things were supposed to be getting better, they were not. In fact, they were getting worse. Swelling, fatigue from hell, and pain everywhere. Asthma was flaring more than usual. Headaches a near constant companion. Finally, eight doctors and 35 years later, someone knew what was wrong. Lupus. It was a devastating diagnosis.

How could that many doctors miss this for so long? What now? What are the damages of being untreated for 35 years? What is the life expectancy after diagnosis? All of these questions and more came bubbling up through the whole family.

Mostly, Redfish was relieved. She cried tears of relief because she finally knows why she gets tired, sore and achy. There are answers for the myriad of other symptoms that came and went over the years. Finally someone took her serious and investigated her symptoms. She no longer feels guilty for needing a nap or wanting to take pain meds for her headaches and joint pain. She understands why sometimes she can’t remember what day it is for more than 30 minutes.

Now what? We have to choose what to do next and re-evaluate our priorities. She’s going to keep her garden and birds, for now. We will still be prepared for any emergency that may arise, but we are also working on ways to reduce stress in her life to slow the progress of Lupus as much as possible. This web site will have to take a back seat. Posts will be less often, but they will be meaningful.